Oceanside. This three-bedroom home is bright with natural wood and special finishes. Built in 1960 by famed architect Edla Muir, it retains original details such as the hardwood and green slate floors and kitchen cabinets, alongside new ones like the custom sound and lighting.

Del Mar. Built in 1953, this three-bedroom ranch is close to area beaches and the Torrey Pines State Reserve, and walking distance from downtown. The house features cedar ceilings, a kitchen with a skylight, and a great room with oversize windows, redwood walls, and a stone fireplace.

Los Angeles. The Smith House, built by Craig Ellwood in 1958 and restored by architect Jim Tyler in 2018, sits on a hill, and when its glass walls are illuminated at night it appears to float in the landscape. A floor-to-ceiling brick fireplace separates the T-shaped home's two bedrooms from the main living area.

Newport Beach. Built in 2018 on Lido Isle, this three-bedroom home has state-of-the-art amenities. The house is wired for sound and has an elevator, a chef's kitchen, and a great room with bifold doors that open completely to an outdoor area with a fire pit.

San Clemente. This new three-bedroom hillside home overlooks the town and the Pacific Ocean. The open-plan house has 12-foot ceilings, limestone floors, a chef's kitchen with Spanish tiles, dual-pane windows, and a living-room wall that opens to a 1,300-square-foot deck.

Laguna Beach. A garden path leads up to this three-bedroom cottage, built in 1928 blocks from the Pacific Coast Highway. The newly restored home has a brick fireplace, beamed ceilings, hardwood floors, and a master suite with ocean views.

Palm Springs. This two-bedroom midcentury-modern home in Rimcrest was recently renovated, with a new roof, drywall, heating and cooling, and electrical system. Floor-to-ceiling glass walls give the mountainside house a panoramic view, but can also easily be closed with automated blinds in the main living areas.

Ownership comes with access to two community pools. $489,995. James Whalen, Sotheby's International Realty, (310) 435-6775.